Journal Of Marsys Lightouch: 10th of Fireseek 636 CY

Journal Of Marsys Lightouch 10th of Fireseek 636CY

We stayed at the site of the excavation while experts from Geoff excavated and a regiment of soldiers guarded us, the barracks and the slowly emerging manor. I had usually gone to tombs and dungeons when they were already revealed or had been sitting dark and cursed in full view for centuries. So it was a unique experience to watch over the days as the manor slowly became visible.

Sir Christopher had called an elf named Idrys to help us. He seems to be an investigator or historian of sorts. I am sure he was found as we all were..through the careful discernment of whatever garment Istus is telling us to try on. Like a grandmother who gives you a sweater that does not quite fit, the goddess of fate is telling us we will grow into it…because at the moment I think we all have the feeling of slowly moving out of our depth.

Idrys, Jevan and Tulla set about identifying the books we recovered from the Barracks. And the slow feeling of being out of our depth became a rolling runaway cart going down a hill. Some of the books were dark and powerful. And I went outside our meeting tent to get some air.

It was a cold night. One of those nights where there are so many stars in the sky that you wonder why it is so cold. If the burning disk of Pelor is fire…on winter nights it is easy to believe that the stars are somehow shards of night made into ice. As if Nerull, even now sane, freezes the light so it can not burn away the night.

Between the evil books in the tent and the ice of Nerull in the sky…the month of Fireseek has never seemed so aptly named. I sought the fire of the soldiers and made small talk about my home. Many had never been as far east as Elmshire and they were much more used to gnomes than halflings in their country. I regaled them with a few fun stories and left to go to sleep.

It was near morning when many of us awoke to low moaning. Our party, gathering in camp, saw that the entire regiment was asleep…many falling where they stood. The dig site was the same. All slept fitfully, as if in nightmares. That though was confirmed as some screamed upon waking. We let the Paladin Wilhelmina walk near them and the strange sleep passed gently. As they woke they described a cleric of Incabulos who walked through the camp…putting them all to sleep. We soon found a passage into the barracks we did not know about earlier. Calling for reinforcements for the men we entered the barracks.

The cleric had entered into the Von Slythe Tombs below the general’s office. In one tomb was a stairway down that led to a passage that led to the manor. We followed it and came out in the basement. Up the stairs toward the first floor, I crept so I could listen to the conversation in the next room.

There was a man speaking with authority who was berating others. The air was fresh, as if this place had been in use and not buried. He laments the book we found was taken to the Canon of Rao and was currently beyond their reach. He did say he would call people to check the wreckage. He then teleported away.

Looking beyond the door a horrid site met my eyes. There was a cleric of Kyuss and three of the horrid spawn. Undead who spread their fate like a disease through vile worms that drip from them like demonic honey. Huh…I will have to rewrite that. Demonic honey. Does not work perfectly.

Villius used the door as protection and pinned the spawn against the floor with it as we dispatched them. We captured the cleric for questioning.

Tulla’s spell worked too well. He blathered at us about his plans…think I never wanted to know. There are sentient spawn of the worm god. The man we heard who left is named Bartholomew and is a cleric of Incabulos. They had been down here since the earthquake three weeks ago. And it seems Bartholomew knew he would find something here…or more accurately…people. Two thousand year old vampires Balthazar and Lianna von Slythe. They were the architects of the experiments and apparently want to make it so their family members can become one with devils. They were sealed here and the quake broke the seals.

Also the cult of Kyuss has some new leader called the Chosen of Kyuss who is made of worms. He and Bartholomew talk to devils and there seems to be some connection in all of this to an infernal plan. The Von Slythes had a daughter who was about 12, we need to research her…because…and I can not make this up…she is a ghost who may be good and is trapped in a ring we found.

We also found out there is a cult of Kyuss in Mega’s Landing on the Wooly Bay in the Wild Coast. So our plan is to go research at the Great Library of Greyhawk City then travel to Mega Landing to see if we can find out more that will shed light on the plan of the worm lovers and nightmare people.

One thing bothers me…we were asleep too when everyone else was infected with nightmares. Why not us? Were we protected or are we being manipulated to go places the evil Cleric can not? Someone, good or evil, intended us to find the book and all these other things. I really pray it was good.